F-ing Snow

This is what's left of the snow we had Thursday morning. These were taken Saturday afternoon. This stuff just won't go away (like the kids) and they're calling for more on Tuesday.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Movie from the 1940s

That Movie Clip Wednesday haiku extraordinaire, Boxer is far too busy composing winning haiku rants to return as hostess. So it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is MCW, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE MOVIE FROM THE 1940s. After having favorite movies from the 1950s, I can just cut and paste and fill in the blanks.

There were a lot of good movies made in the 50s 40s like The Bridge on the River Kwai, Rebel Without a Cause and 12 Angry Men Citizen Kane, Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life and classic kid's movies like Pinocchio, Dumbo and National Velvet, just to name a few. Alright, enough of the strike out crap.

The last couple of weeks we've been talking (well some of us have been talking) about that master of horror, Alfred Hitchcock. But he did some petty descent non-horror type movies. One I like (from 1944, coincidentally) is Lifeboat. It starred wild party-girl Tallulah Bankhead who gave an outstanding performance (it was nominated for 3 Oscars) as the stuck-up journalist. It's the story about a ship and a German U-boat involved in a battle and both are sunk. The survivors from the ship gather in one of the boats and then they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boat. It also features a very young Hume Cronyn. I say young because I only remember him in his later years being married to Jessica Tandy.

An interesting tidbit about Tallulah Bankhead was that she was infamous for not wearing underwear. According to Hume Cronyn, during the filming of Lifeboat the crew complained about her flashing them when she had to climb a ladder to go into the mock-up of a lifeboat. When their objections reached Alfred Hitchcock, he reportedly quipped that he didn't know if it was a matter for wardrobe or hairdressing. Bwahahaha - oh that Hitchcock.

This once again is Karl's category to lose. Bwahahaha Go on over to the Madman's and see what other Black and White flicks he can drum up.

Dim Sum Sunday - Vegatables Kids Will Eat

Big Shamu over at the Karmic Kitchen has resumed her popular food challenge for those of us that are cooking challenged - Dim Sum Sunday. The theme for this week (as I understand it) was to prepare a vegetable dish that kid's will eat. This was suggested by Making Space whose kids are fickle when it comes to eating vegetables.

A go-to simple recipe that I use all the time with my 17 and 12 year old boys is Buttery Cooked Carrots that I lifted off of AllRecipes.com some years ago. This is as simple as it gets and it has butter and sugar, two food groups that kids love.

Here's the ingredients with the carrots in a steamer already going (I was running late this week). The recipe calls for boiling, but I thing they get a little too water logged that way. I retain about 1/2 cup of the carrot juice water for use with the recipe.

Here's everything mixed with the carrots soaking. I try to leave them in as long as possible.

Here is the finished dish. You can pour some of the sauce over it if you want. The Mrs says it's too sweet that way, but the boys like it that way.

And here was dinner. Carrots, rotisserie chicken (Shoprite) and Rice-a-Roni, that San Francisco Treat. Everyone was good with it.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Movie from the 1950s

That Movie Clip Wednesday urban trekker, Boxer is far too involved in recording the artistic elements of downtown Seattle. So it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is MCW, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE MOVIE FROM THE 1950s. There were a lot of good movies made in the 50s like The Bridge on the River Kwai, Rebel Without a Cause and 12 Angry Men just to name a few.
But for my selection this week, I'm going back to my childhood (again).

My mother was pretty religious and encouraged us to watch religious themed movies. In fact, she bought me a book full of screen shots based on this movie. And that would be 1959's Ben-Hur. I'm not sure if this is based on an actual biblical story, but it's pretty cool just the same. It's sort of like an early version of Life of Brian. Bwahahaha This movie won 11 academy awards including best picture and best actor for Charlton Heston. The two best scenes are the naval battle and the chariot race. Interesting fact, the large island in the stadium made a backdrop of a stone wall and was cheaper to film than a backdrop of thousands of extras but it blocked a lot of people's views if they were real Roman spectators. The chariot race (a precursor to NASCAR?) is a bit long but is so spectacular that it's worth the watch - and no CGI here.

I'm curious to see what Karl comes up with because this is right in his wheelhouse. So head over to the Madman's to see some great old flicks.

Haiku Monday - Arizona

Oil surfacing souls,

When survivors join comrades

the Pearl sheens no more.

Haiku Monday is hosted and judged by the Troll. All decisions by the Troll and Master Basho are final. Please, no wagering.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Fantasy Moive

That Movie Clip Wednesday tormentor of small dogs, Boxer is too busy trying to get Cocostuck under a forklift. So it's the Milk River Madman that continues to take up the mantle that is MCW, the Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme and tries to keep the clip or clips to around 3 minutes long. This week's theme is FAVORITE FANTASY MOVIE. This theme is wide open to interpretation. Are we talking an actual fantasy I'd like to have (we may be delving in to the XXX arena) or a fantastic place or time? In consideration to the women, I chose the latter.

And what better fantasy film is there than Conan the Barbarian (1982). This was Arnold Schwarzenegger's first staring role and it led to his 1984 defining role as The Terminator. Nobody can wield a sword, work the Wheel of Pain, or beat the crap out of giant, hammer swinging mullet heads like Conan. He wades through cannibalistic orgies (his camouflage may have been the inspiration for Predator), kills more expendable guards and soldiers than Cecil B Demille and reconditions his own weapons by banging the rust off of them. This also featured the very hot Sandahl Bergman as Valeria and a very young James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom - half man, half snake, all ham in this performance. Enjoy.

And what is best in Life Conan?

Conan (translation): To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. Words to live by Arnold, mumbled words to live by. Bwahahaha

If you've got nothing better to do (and that fact that you're reading my blog says that you don't) then head on over to see what fantasies the Madman is conjuring up.

Haiku Monday - Crescent

Terror finds harbor,
Crescent and five-rayed star
Nuclear back stab?